I consider research as the process of going up different pathways to arrive at a verifiable finding. My research is organized around three interdisciplinary research programs. The first is centered on my dissertation analyzing the varying levels of governing state capacity and religious establishment embeddedness capacity to resist violent armed jihadism in West Africa.​
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​My first upcoming book project, “Resisting Violence: Religious Communities and States in West Africa,” provides a detailed examination of the complex linkages between the capacity of Sahelian states in West Africa and their predominantly religious communities to manage violent jihadism. This study highlights how these interconnected dynamics significantly influence counterterrorism processes, particularly through community radicalization at varying levels. Unlike conventional rebel wars of the past, this jihadist conflict in West Africa presents unique challenges to the democratic process and national and international security. Through a comprehensive analysis of both historical and contemporary issues, my research draws on over seven years of meticulous archival research and in-depth qualitative interviews conducted in Mali, Senegal, Burkina Faso, Nigeria, Gambia, and beyond, illuminating the intricate factors at play in this volatile region.
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This research was conducted in conflict hotspots where social order and governance have broken down, making these areas critical for study. Field research in Mali, Burkina Faso, and Senegal was conducted during the COVID-19 pandemic, specifically between 2019 and 2021. These regions face heightened vulnerabilities to extremist threats, and their health systems and resources have become increasingly scarce.Despite these challenges, the fieldwork connected me with communities affected by conflict during the pandemic, fostering a sense of solidarity and empowerment. My work amplifies local voices and experiences through the findings, advocating for scholarly and policies that address specific needs while promoting peacebuilding interventions.
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I met internally displaced communities (Pictures from above) in the research field in 2020. Many of them lost their properties, and some had key family members, such as fathers and sons, killed by the jihadist.
African Governance Innovation Lab (AGIL) Principal Investigators
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Lamin Keita
Lamin Keita is a Democracy Postdoctoral Researcher at the Kellogg Institute for International Studies at the University of Notre Dame, where he studies democratic decline through the African Governance Innovation Collaborative. He holds a PhD in comparative politics and international relations from Northwestern University, where his award-winning dissertation—supported by Fulbright-Hays and SSRC-IDRF fellowships—examined community violence and resistance across Nigeria, Mali, Burkina Faso, and Senegal. His research focuses on why some communities respond to insecurity with violence while others pursue nonviolent resistance, offering insights into state–society relations, counterinsurgency, and locally grounded approaches to managing conflict and democratic erosion. Before entering academia, Keita worked as a journalist in Africa, including in The Gambia, where he was forced into political asylum during Yahya Jammeh’s rule.
Jaimie Bleck
Jaimie Bleck is a Professor of Political Science at Lehigh University, specializing in African politics, with a focus on democratization, civil society, education, and political participation. She is the author of Education and Empowered Citizenship in Mali (2015) and co-author of Continuity in Change: Electoral Politics in Africa, 1990–2015 (2018, with Nicolas van de Walle). Her research is widely published in leading journals and supported by major institutions, including the NSF and USAID. She has also served as a Fulbright Teaching and Research Fellow in Côte d’Ivoire and is currently working on a book examining informal civic life in Mali, focusing on tea-drinking clubs as spaces of democratic engagement.
Bernard Forjwuor
Bernard Forjwuor is an Assistant Professor of Africana Studies and Political Science at the University of Notre Dame and a faculty fellow with the Kellogg Institute, the Klau Institute for Civil and Human Rights, and the Initiative on Race and Resilience. A political theorist, his work focuses on Black political thought, critical theory, race, colonialism, and decolonial theory. He is the author of Critique of Political Decolonization (Oxford University Press, 2023) and is developing a second book, Reimagining Democracy, which examines how colonial legacies shape and contribute to democratic decline in Africa, particularly in Ghana and the broader West African region.
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Erin Metz McDonnell
Erin Metz McDonnell is the Kellogg Associate Professor of Sociology at the University of Notre Dame, with appointments in the Keough School of Global Affairs and Africana Studies. Her research examines how organizational structures and culture shape state capacity, governance, and development outcomes, particularly in weak institutional contexts. She is the author of the award-winning Patchwork Leviathan (2020), which explains how effective bureaucratic “pockets” emerge in developing states. Her widely published and NSF-supported work also explores public sector performance and has informed policy through consulting with the World Bank and governments in Africa and Latin America.
COLLABORATIVE ENGAGEMENT & PARTNERS FROM THE REGION
My research journey has been enriched by collaborations with remarkable scholars, dedicated practitioners, and informed, engaged citizens across the continent. The exceptional support and experience I received from the collaborators below was invaluable.
BURKINA FASO:
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The Collective Against Impunity and Stigmatization of Communities (CISC)
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The Centre for Democracy and Development (CDD)
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US Embassy in Ouagadougou​
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MALI: Point Sud Research Center and Near East Foundation
SENEGAL: WARC based in Dakar, St. Louis, and Shieh Anta Diop University
NIGERIA